FanPost

A Small Smorgasbord of Minor Signings

This FanPost basically is a summary of some of the more minor deals that have occurred during the offseason, since they haven't really been noted much on Talking Chop. While the Braves have been more on the quiet side of things, particularly during the lockout, that doesn’t mean that transactions aren’t happening. For this article, we’ll look at the minor deals that aren’t covered by the Darren O’Day signing or the minors phase of the Rule 5 draft.

10/10/21: RHP Juan Mateo

Although Mateo signed before the offseason got underway, I’m including him in here because he otherwise fits in well with these signings. Mateo’s main standout trait is his fastball, where he routinely hits the high 90s and has touched triple digits before. However, he basically amounts to a "Sure, why not?" type of flier, as he’s very far from the majors with little professional baseball experience, and he’s raw in his command, control, and secondaries (a curveball and changeup). Compounding his rawness is the fact that he’s 29 years old, so if he’s to make the majors at all, he’ll have to redefine the phrase "hitting the ground running" in the minors.

11/28/21: RHP Rob Griswold

While Griswold has some two-way ability (mainly on the infield), he is likely to purely be a pitcher going forward. A product of Long Island University, the sidearming Griswold mainly appeared out of the bullpen in a variety of roles, ranging from inning-eating middle relief to a sometime-closer, which continued into his 2021 stint with the Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks. Although his high-80s fastball is fairly meh, there appears to be some potential for his slider, which has been described as a good pitch that works well from his sidearm slot. Most likely, Griswold is a flier-type who can help fill out a roster in the low minors, but his good pitching track record, slider, and ability to pitch multiple innings might help him carve out a larger role if he continues to perform.

11/29/21: C/1B Ryan Casteel

Despite Casteel’s profile being more on the fringier side, he has a chance to make the majors if he can rebound from a mediocre 2021 performance. Casteel was a great find by the Braves’ scouting department, as he rewarded their willingness to take a chance on an indy ball player by posting a strong 134 wRC+ during Mississippi’s 2019 season. Unfortunately, the 2021 promotion to Gwinnett was less fruitful, as he only posted a 90 wRC+ in 68 games with the team. While he has quite a bit of experience at catcher, he’s likely more of a 1B/DH type going forward, which puts even more pressure on his bat as a righty-batter. Furthermore, he now has a direct competitor in John Nogowski, who has less power but better defense and on-base ability. If Casteel wants to make it to the majors, he needs to make the most of his raw power while avoiding too many strikeouts to rack up.

12/3/21: 2B Jalen Miller

Miller returns to the Braves in the hopes that he can rebound from a terrible 2021 season. Selected in the minors phase of the 2020 Rule 5 draft, the hope with Miller was that he could produce enough with the bat to look like a useful bat-first second baseman. Unfortunately, the opposite happened, as Miller struggled to a 78 wRC+ while showing a notable increase in strikeouts. His season wasn’t all bad, as his ISO of .175 was his best mark yet, while part of his problems were due to the pitcher-friendly nature of Mississippi’s park, where he posted only a .550 OPS. That being said, Miller needs to make better use of his bat and speed in 2022 if he wants to advance to Gwinnett and have a chance at the majors, with those concerns only amplified by being a bat-first player.

12/13/21: RHP Francisco Romero

He’s a 6’2" righty pitcher weighing 170 pounds. Beyond that…no one really seems to know anything about him, even several weeks after his signing. Most likely, he is a raw flier-type pitcher who might develop into more with the right breaks.

?- INF Jordan Cowan

As a note, neither the transactions page nor Cowan’s MLB/MiLB pages show him signing with the Braves, but since multiple places have mentioned him signing, I’m including him here even though I don’t know the signing date.

Cowan is generally a sum-of-his-parts infielder who makes up for his lack of power by making the most out of his remaining modest tools. While he’s not a standout defender, he’s capable enough defensively to play any infield spot, though disparate reports suggest that he may be a bit more stretched at short. His lack of power will mean he’ll never be a starter, but he’s demonstrated solid walk rates in 2019 and 2021, and his bat-to-ball skills keep him from striking out too much. Cowan will likely start the year in Gwinnett and help to fill in around the diamond, but barring an emergency or an unexpected step forward, he’s unlikely to have much, if any, time in the majors.

12/15/21: INF Yariel Gonzalez

Lastly, we have Gonzalez, and he’s worth keeping an eye on in Spring Training as a dark horse bench candidate for the 2022 Braves. Offensively, his bat has generally been considered one of his best points, and while his power has been more on the modest side, he’s generally shown that he can be more than adequate at making it play in games. Defensively, he’s limited by below-average speed, but he’s fine enough with the glove and arm that he’ll likely stick at both third and first base. While the Tigers gave him some time at second base in 2021, he’s realistically stretched enough there that he’s more of a shift-aided part-time option more than anything else.

Although it might seem a bit much to consider him a bench candidate, Gonzalez may have several factors going in his favor. For one, while he’s more of a stretch at second base, even being adequate there would give the Braves more flexibility in how to deploy him, particularly if they use the DH on a rotating basis to give players a break from playing the field. Additionally, as Roger Castillo of Motor City Bengals has noted, Gonzalez showed a slightly modified swing in 2021 that utilized less of a leg kick. If the Braves feel that either or both of those changes to his profile are significant enough to give him a chance in the majors, this could turn out to be a shrewd signing to shore up the organization’s position player depth problems. And if he doesn’t pan out, he likely serves as a useful filler option for Gwinnett.

This FanPost does not express the views or opinions of Battery Power.